Toy



April 24. 1928. 1,667,353

- B. E. LLOYD TOY Filed Oct. 2s. 19%

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESS ,0

' ATTORNEYS April 24, 1928.

B. E. LLOYD TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct.

Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNITE-D sTArss PATENT oar-ice.

BURT "LLOYD, or WOODCLIFEE,-NEW JERSEY.

' TOY.

Application flledflctober 23, -l923,-Se1=ial No.

My invention relates to toys and has for its objectto provide a novel and improved sounding device adapted more particularly to 'be incorporatcd indolls and the like .for producing sounds in simulation ofweertain sounds of the human voice. Other more specific objects ofthe invention will appear tion; Fig. 5 is a cross-section thereof on the line 5-.-T5 ofFig. 4.; .Fcig. dis a sectional iew of-still :another form'oft'he invention; Figs. 7 and 8 are longitudinalmand .crossvsections respectively illustrating a i still .further form thereof'and Fig. 9 is a=sectional view showing anotheimform ofplnnger, e i The essential features of the invention in whatever form the :sameanay {be constructed consisbof an air chamber, sound-producing means :anda plunger slidably fitting-the inrteriori of ithe airchamber and adapted to *force. air therefrom to ,operate the soundproducing means; in itsgpreferred fo'rma means fier -articulating, the :sounds emanating from the-sound-producing means is combined with the other elements set forth.

lnvthel'orn'i shown in Figs. '1, 2 and 3 the air chamber is shown in the form of a metallic cylinder 10 the one end of which is closed :as indicated at 11 and the other end of which :is :provided with apreferably aremova'ble mover :12 having a [plurality of perforaitions '13. 1A stem .14 extends lengthwise 0d? the shell :10 in registry with the'axis thereof and has its opposite ends fixed me.- sp'e'ctively in the closure and the cover 12. In this form aplunger 15 is slidably fitted in the shell 10 in surface engagement with the interior surface thereof andvis prefen ablycupsl iaped asillustrated in Fig. 1 ithe plunger '15 is slidable lengthwise of ethe stem 14 and is provided with a recess :16 in which a reed or other sound producing device 17 is located so as to communicate with 670,261,and Great Britain Apri1-26, 1923.

the airchambera as shownin Fig. 1. The plunger 15 further carries a sleeve 18 or itsv equivalent which forms a. secondary :air chamber]; and which is closed, for instance, by means ofa cap "19 having bleeder: orts 20 ,and an axial opening2l aflexible lip 22 constructed forcinstancqofsoft rubber is fixed upon the cap 19 so as to overhang inwardly the opening 21 thereof. A pair of discs 23 .ofsuita'ble material ,are fixed upon the'stom 14 in spaced relation to each other and so as to be located between the plunger 15 and the perforated cover inwardly and outwardly in the operation 01 the toyfor'the p pose and in the manner to be more fully described hereinafter. To increasexthe efiiciency of'the device and to improve the sound effects thereof, a yieldmg means is provided for yieldingly :resisting the operative movements of the plunger 12;.Ithese discs 1 aieofsuch diameter as to defiectthe lip 22 toward its final position. In the illustrated example, as shown in 'Figs. 1,, 2 and 3, this meanscomprises a-coil spring 24 which surrounds the stem 14 between the plunger 15 and the closure 11'. i i

:In practice,lassuming the parts to occupy theposition shown in Fig. 1, the device may be operated by tilting it to the position shown in Fig.2 to cause the plunger 15-to slidablyanove toward the closure 11. As the plunger .passes from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2, the tllIiIl the chamber a will be, forced there-' from through the recess 16 and through the reed 17 or equivalent sound-producing means and. will cause the latter to be operated to emit the sound f()1"' Wl1lCl1 it'is designed. During the indicated-travel of the plunger '15 the lip 22 will successfully engagethe discs 23 at spaced intervals and each time Willimomentarily confine the sound :in the auxiliary chamber '6 and then release the same so that the sounds emanating from the reed 17 or its equivalent will be articulated or OtllGlW-VlHQ divided in simulation of some predetermined sounds of the human voice.

Because of the fact that the lip 22 is made of. a flexible material the progress of the plunger 15 will not be interfered with and the .co-action of this flexible lip 22 withqthe id=i-scs-23-will produce a very close approximation of a movement of the human lips in *fraining articulated or othersounds. VVhen' the 'l nlun-ger .15 reaches the spring 24 the Flatter will be compressed and will interpose a yielding resistance to the operative movement of said. plunger to its final position whereby the sound emanating from the device 17 will be sustained and not broken ofi' short in an unnatural manner. To repeat the operation the shellv 10 is first tilted in the opposite direction and then back again to the position shown in'Fig. 2.

In the form shown in Figs. 4t and 5 the shell ct relatively thin metal and corresponding to the shell 10 of Fig.1 is located within a cylinder 10" which may be made of pasteboard or other similar material and which has its one end closed by means of a cap 11 and its other end provided with a cap 12 having perforations 12 In this form the plunger 15 is slid-ably mounted within the shell 10, this fol-mot the device being otherwise constructed and operating in the same manner as that shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3. I

In the form shown inl ig. 6 the stem which carries the discs instead of extending throughout the axial length of the device is replaced by a short stem 14c projecting from the one end member, "for instance the cover 12 in registry with the axis of the shell 10 asshown. "This form oithe invention may otherwise bethe same as the form shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and may operate in the same way. In other words the only difference resides in'the substitution of a short stem 14 for the ionger stem 1-'l on which the plunger 15 is slidably fitted in Fig. 1.

In the form shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 the plunger- 15 is somewhat smaller in diameter than the interior diameter of the cylinder 10 and is provided Witha circumferential member 15 adapted to slidably engage the inner wall of the cylinder 1O or its equivalent. The member 15 is in the nature of a gasket and possesses the characteristic of yielding; to this end the member 15 -niay be constructed of rubber or other yielding material either in a single piece as shown or otherwise as may be desired. In the illustrated example the member 15" comprises a ring of suitable material fitted into a circumferential groove 15 of the plunger 15 and fixed therein in any convenient manner. shown in 9 the active surface of the member l5 may be bevelled in two directions instead 01"? being flat as illustrated in Fig. 7.

With this arrangement the plunger is free to move lengthwise ofthe cylinder 1O as in the other forms, the member 15*, which comprises a part of said plunger, constituting the means which positively engages the inner surface of said cylinder 10 and which seals the annular space between the latter and said plunger.

Otherwise the device may be constructed and operate in the same way as any of the other forms of the invention; it will be mamas understood that the plunger 15 is intended to be representative of" all of the forms of plungers shown herein and in the original application of whichthe present application is in part a division and also of any equivalent forms of plungers which may be used in equivalent arrangements.

/ The device isextremely simple in construction and does away with the necessity for bellows and other extraneous devices heretofore considered necessary and provides sounds and particularly articulated or otherwise divided sounds which are most natural and lifelike. The device may be used independently as a toy or it may be incorporated in dolls, animal toys, andt-he like.

Various changes in the specific forms shown and describedmay be made with in the scope otthe' claims without departing from the spirit of'my invention.

I claim .lrA device ot'the kind described comprising a" metal she'll closed at one end and havingits opposite end provided with apertures, a stem extending axially of said shell, a 3 plunger slidably'fitting said shell and slidable lengthwise of saidstem to compress the air in said shell, a sound-producing device carrie'd by said plunger andoperated by the air compressed in said shell, a' flexible lip carried by said plunger (and spaced discs on said stem co-operating ..with said lip to articulate the soundemanating from said sound-producing device. 5

'2. A-device' comprising a'cylinder, a cap closing one end thereof, a perforated cap at the other endof said cylinder, a metallic she-ll constituting a lining for said cylinder, a stem extending axially of said shell and having its ends fixed in. saidcaps, aplunger slidably fitting said shell; and slidable lengthwise of said stemto compressthe air in said shell, a sound-producing device carried by said plunger and operated by the air compressed in said shell, a flexible lipcarried by said plunger'and spaced discs on. said stem co-operating with said lip to articn'lat-e the sound emanating from said soundproducing device. i

3. A device of the kind describedcomprising an air chamber, a plunger slidably fit? ting the interior of said chamber and adapt.- edto force airtheret'rom, a sound-producing device carried by said plunger and operated by theair forced from said chamber, aSstem extending in the direction of the length of said chamber fromone end thereof, spaced discs located on said stem and a flexible lip carried by said plunger whereby the sound i ing connection with said lunger and thereby adapted to guide the p unger in its move ment, said stem being fixedlyconnected at the end walls of said chamber, a yielding member on said plunger contacting with the Y inner Wall of said chamber and slidably fitting the same and ada ted to retard the passage or air between t e spaced edge of. the plunger and the inner Wall of the chamber, a sound producing device and sound chamber carried by said plunger and spaced from the inner wall of said chamber, a sound escape opening in said sound chamber and means to articulate the sound escaping from said sound escape opening.

5'. A device of the kind'described comprising an air chamber, a stem in said air chamber fixedly connected at a plurality ofpoints, a plunger adapted to reciprocate by gravity in said chamber, a sound chamber and sound producing means carried by said plunger and adapted to reciprocatetherewith, the peripheral edge of said plunger and saidsound inner wall of the chamber and slidably fitting the same to retard the escape of air between the peripheral edge of said plunger and the inner wallof said chamber, a sound escape openlng 1n said sound chamber and valve mechanism to interrupt the sound escaping'from said sound escape opening. 1

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

BURT E. LLOYD. 

